Both The Ring and The Others start with a dark setting and background noise, such as the noise of rain from outside, the noise of the TV and the screaming. By doing this the film puts across the message that the background noises and sudden noises will have a significant effect during this film. This prepares the audience for sudden noises and sounds which will scare them and this shows it's going to happen one way or another.
The characters aren't introduced in similar ways however the movie reveals the tiniest fragments of information that don't really lead you to any sudden decisions. Both movies keep the characters mysterious and hidden. Another point is that the characters all seem to be scared at some point in the opening which means there is an uncovered horror waiting to be found somewhere throughout the movie for the audience ot find which throws them into a state of suspense and shock.
In both films they also play on the audience's emotions by adding such things as childrens stories. In the Others you can hear a female voice asking her children if they're 'Sitting comfortably' ready for the story, which you wouldn't accociate with a psychological horror. The same happens in the ring where the two girls are talking to each other and telling each other horror stories that surely can't be real and are only joking because they're friends. You also wouldn't accociate this as much with a psychological horror yet both are shown.
From this comparison of two successful psychological horrors I have learned more techniques to define my genre. I now have more ideas for music choice and the pace of editing. My main character will remain quite mysterious throughout the opening and the use of what camera shots is more clear to me. I will use this and apply all these ideas to my psychological horror to perhaps make mine much more successful.
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